Police were called when Chinese officials attempted to « barge » into the office of Papua New Guinea’s foreign minister, it emerged Sunday, as APEC summit…
Police were called when Chinese officials attempted to « barge » into the office of Papua New Guinea’s foreign minister, it emerged Sunday, as APEC summit tensions boiled over.
The Chinese delegates « tried to barge in » to Rimbink Pato’s Port Moresby office Saturday, in an eleventh-hour bid to influence a summit draft communique, but were denied entry, three sources with knowledge of the situation told AFP.
« Police were posted outside the minister’s office after they tried to barge in, » one source privy to summit negotiations told AFP, requesting anonymity.
The diplomatic incident came with tensions already high at a summit of Asian-Pacific leaders that has been overshadowed by a spat between the United States and China.
Pato had refused to meet with the delegates, according to a source, who said: « It’s not appropriate for the minister to negotiate solo with the Chinese.
